The Rogue Titan
by Spartan Ninja
Summary: An AU from the 8th episode. What if Eren was conscious when emerged from his Titan form for the first time. What if, rather than face execution inside the Walls, he traveled outside the Walls. After training for months outside in the Titan infested wilderness, Eren Jaeger shall no longer fight for humanity as a soldier, but as the Rogue Titan. Eventual Eren X Mikasa. M for reasons.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger! *swings in on 3D Maneuver Gear* Hello my fellow authors and loyal readers, yours truly, the Spartan Ninja, has returned! *bows his head as he slams his right fist over his heart and holds the left behind his back* *looks up* Now, for those of you who follow my Halo story, I have had a lot think on it in the past few months. *relaxes his stance* Now don't think I'm discontinuing it, because I'm not. However, it needs a lot of work. Right now though, as you can tell by my attire *gestures to scouting legion uniform and gear* I have another passion I must attend to. For those of you who are new to me, however, it's pretty obvious because you found this story for the story and not me. Shingeki no Kyojin is definitely one of the best anime/manga series' right now, and so I am accepting a writing challenge from HighQueen's tumblr, theotakulyfe; who you should totally check out because she's awesome and encouraged me to do this challenge because she lacks the time due to her own fics and real life. *shudders* Ugh, real life. Tumblr and the internet are so much better. By the way, shameless self-advertising here, my tumblr is the exact same name, except no space, so yeah, follow me and stuff. Anyway, the challenge is a divergence off of the eighth episode of the anime, where instead of just kneeling there as his Titan body collapses after killing the Titan that ate Thomas; Eren has the energy to escape outside the walls that humanity still control. Everyone would think he's dead, at least at first, and during that time he would learn how to use his powers more effectively. He would then start helping humanity, fighting the Titans as the Rogue Titan on occasion, before disappearing again so he can escape. Now for the shippers out there, it will eventually be MikEren or EreMika, however you want call the ship, fic . Other ships will come up passively, but the challenge only demanded the one ship. Anyone else taking this up doesn't have to follow that part, but personally, I ship them to Japan and back and find they will be canon if they survive. Also, this will be rated M because its Attack on Titan, itis blood and gore central. Also though, when I start giving attention to ships, I will have no limits to the possible interactions. There won't be chapter upon chapter of smut, but there will be intimacy. Fair warning/advertising, depending on how you view it. Now, I don't know how long I am going to write this; HighQueen said that I should start it as a threeshot, just to test the waters, and in my opinion, it might also encourage others to take up the challenge. But if I get a lot of support on this, I can see this going ten to twenty chapters, depending on how deep the manga goes during the writing process. Wow, I've already written a full page here, and I'm still in the Author's Note. Well, let's put an end to that then. As one bushy browed commander said, "ONWARD" with the story: I present to you, "The Rogue Titan"

* * *

Year 850, Day 0 after the Fall of Trost District

With one final cry of defiance, the Deviant Class Titan fell with an earth shattering crash. The steam coming off its body only further proved the obvious; the Titan than helped them survive had died.

"Looks like it burnt itself out," Jean said. He turned to begin the final break for the wall. "Whatever, let's get going! There's no way that monster's on our side. Titans are Titans." Glancing back, he noticed that not one of his comrades made to follow him. Instead, their focus was on the rapidly decaying Titan corpse. "What is it?" he queried as he returned next to Annie and Armin. Looking down, he noticed that there was an abnormal amount of steam coming from the nape of the Titans neck compared to the rest of the body.

And then there was a figure.

It wasn't large like a Titan, not even one of the 3 meter classes from inside the tower. No, it was definitely human sized, yet it was coming from inside the Titan's neck. It took a moment to gain its bearings before it looked around at the surrounding carnage. Jean couldn't tell what the figure was emerging from the steam, which probably went the same for the rest of the soldiers on the roof.

"Hey, you down there," Jean shouted, pointing one of his blades downward at the figure. It looked up, still shrouded by the steam, acknowledging Jean's shouts. "Are you Titan, or human?"

"Jean, what are you doing?" Armin asked, "Whoever that is just saved our lives. We shouldn't scare away a potential ally"

"Potential ally, are you kidding me? Whoever or whatever that is just emerged from a Titan, an extremely powerful one at that. For all we know, this could be a trick to get within the walls, and then who knows what kind of havoc it might cause."

"Well whoever or whatever it is, they're made a break for the Tower," Reiner commented calmly.

Jean and Armin turned in time to see the outline of the figure enter the building they had escaped only moments earlier.

"There you go; if it was human it wouldn't have run away from us. Now come on, let's get over the wall before anymore Titans arrive," Jean exclaimed. Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt nodded in agreement, then took off across the roofs. Mikasa and Armin however remained staring at the door the stranger had fled through. Jean could see it in the slight movements of their hands; they were planning on going after that thing that came out of the Titan. Reaching out, he grabbed both of them by the collars of their jackets and pulled them back. "Snap out of it you two, we have to go," he said, putting the emphasis on the "have". Finally getting their attention, Jean let go of their collars and met their disgruntled looks with a calmer voice. "Look, as much as I'd love to follow you two after- well, whatever that was- we have to face facts. We are still in enemy territory, despite what this was only a few hours ago. Last time the Walls were breached, it wasn't just a District Wall that fell, but the main one too. The Garrison is going to need every soldier available on the Walls to stop the Armored Titan if he makes an appearance. Instead of that though, you two want to go deeper into enemy territory after who knows what. Maybe it'll be an ally, maybe it won't, but it won't be worth it if you both die while Wall Rose falls."

Armin and Mikasa were not happy, but couldn't argue with Jeans's logic. If Rose fell, a lot more people were going to die than when Maria did.

"He's right Mikasa, we need to pull back now. If we report this to one of the ranking officers we might be able to send a search and rescue squad for whoever that was later." Jean nodded in agreement, though internally he doubted even the Survey Corps would be willing to risk attempting such a mission.

Mikasa looked between the two before coming to her decision. Firing her wires, she prepared to go after the figure.

"Mikasa," Jean shouted as he reached out to stop her. All he managed to do was grab a hold of her scarf, which came undone in his hand as she flew forwards. "Fuck!" Now Jean was conflicted; there was no way he wanted to become Titan food, but at the same time he did not want to leave Mikasa behind. "Dammit all," he hissed as he made to follow, only his wires to bounce off the creepiest smile he had seen today. He froze as a giant hand rose to smash him.

Before he could lose yet another comrade though, Armin tackled Jean out of the way of the descending palm. "Come on Jean, as you said, we need to make it to the Wall," Armin stated, picking himself up. Grabbing Jean's hand he helped him up before they began sprinting back towards the Wall.

As they made their escape, a long piece of red fabric found its way down to the street below, finding a place amongst the rubble and steaming corpses.

* * *

Inside the Tower, the figure everyone had observed earlier was hiding in one of the inner rooms, away, from prying eyes.

"I was… inside… a Titan? N-No, I was a... There's no way I was a… a Titan." Hidden under a desk within one of the Tower's inner rooms, Eren swallowed hard, unable to come to terms with the reality of his situation. "It was just a dream. Yeah, that's it, it-it was just a stupid dream," he chuckled for a moment before he slammed his fist onto the floor, ending his faux reverie. "What am I saying, the proof is right in front of me!"

Indeed it was, as both his left arm and leg were attached to his body, yet the cloth at the joints were torn, as if it was bitten through. He had not only stepped out of the corpse of one of the Titans that lumbered about outside, but he had regenerated his body just like them. He was a monster.

The sound of boots hitting stone pulled him from his introspection. "Hello, is anyone here?" It was Mikasa. "Don't hide, please, I'm friendly. Whoever you are, we could really use your help."

Help? How could he help? He was a monster, a Titan. They never help humans, only eat them.

Yet he felt no such desire. A flicker of doubt lit within himself against the thought of being the same as those murder machines outside. Even in that other body, as far as he could recall, all he felt was an intense desire to kill Titans.

What if he could help humanity? Maybe all was not lost for him. He almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea; a Titan fighting for humanity, yet that was exactly what it would be if he were to return behind the Walls.

Just as he was about to call out to Mikasa though, Jean's voice rang through his skull. 'Are you Titan, or human?' 'There you go; if it was human it wouldn't have run away from us.' There was loathing and hate dripping from his voice when he shouted earlier; undoubtedly if he were to reveal himself, humanity as a whole would meet him with equal, if not greater, amounts of both. His execution would be almost assured, even if Mikasa, even if all the cadets of the 104th, vouched for him.

Eren replaced himself back to his hiding place until he heard the sound of Mikasa moving away.

"Even if I'm not a monster, I look exactly like one. I can't go back, not if I want the chance to fight and make a difference." Sighing in resignation, Eren pulled himself to his feet. "I need supplies if I'm going to be moving outside the Walls. But I won't be able to do that if I get caught."

Eren hastily made his way through to the top of the Tower and waited for Mikasa to leave. After about 45 minutes he finally saw a figure flying a ways north towards the Main Wall.

"Mikasa," he whispered, afraid if he said her name any louder she would hear him and come back; either to drag him back or go with him, neither of which were viable options. He needed to go alone, so everyone would think he was dead and no one would be hurt because of him, especially Mikasa. Already she was a soldier because of him. He only hoped that after this experience she'd join the Military Police, or at least the Stationary Guard, rather than the Survey Corps like he had wished too. At least then she'd be safe.

Eren sighed. He was going to miss everyone from the trainee squad, but Mikasa was definitely going to be the one he'd miss most. He'd miss Armin dearly too, he was his best friend after all, oldest one too, and shared with him his vast trove of knowledge and forbidden books on the outside world. But surviving a traumatic childhood with just each other as he and Mikasa had created a closeness between them he doubted he would form elsewhere.

Pulling his gaze away from her retreating figure, his eyes caught something lying in the street amongst the rubble and Titan remains: a red scarf, his red scarf. Scanning quickly for any nearby Titans, Eren made a break down the flights of stairs, and, against all better judgment, retrieved it before making a hasty retreat back into the building.

"Mikasa left this behind? Why would she do that?" Unable to answer his own question, Eren returned the garment around his neck. Taking a deep breath, he noticed it smelled faintly like her. A sad smile graced his lips for a brief moment as he returned to the interior of the Tower.

* * *

"We stick with the plan," Reiner growled, slamming his fist into the wall he was standing in front of. In the rear of one of Trost's abandoned buildings with him were Bertholdt and Annie.

"But Reiner, what about that Titan Shifter back there? You saw what he did to all those Titans around the Tower," Bertholdt exclaimed, worried as to the implications this new variable could hold for them.

"It doesn't matter. We all saw him run off after he exited the Titan. He may have no love for other Titans, but it's more than safe to assume he's not with anyone behind the Walls." Reiner crossed his arms as he continued calmly. "Even if he is, it's unlikely he understands how to use his powers judging by how he was fighting. It was probably dumb luck he transformed, and more likely than not he'll be Titan chow in the next hour or so."

"Should we help him then? What if he's the coordinate, shouldn't we try to take him back to the village?" Bertholdt questioned, seeming to have calmed down as the topic shifted.

"No," Reiner replied tersely.

"But-"

"We can't risk the mission on a hunch. Breaking down the Walls is our first priority, we cannot get distracted." Reiner's voice began to increase in volume again.

"It wouldn't be a distraction though, just a slight detour," Bertholdt responded, trying to calm Reiner.

"Slight detour! He could be anywhere in Trost right now, including a Titan's stomach. We cannot go after him, right Annie?" Reiner turned to the quiet girl, who up until then had been content listening to the two go back and forth. Pushing off the wall, she turned to Bertholdt.

"Breaking through the Wall is our most pressing matter right now. Reiner needs to complete his part without distraction; otherwise things could go bad for him. However," she turned to Reiner now, "both Bertholdt and I are otherwise unoccupied."

"Are you saying we should stay behind to look for him?" Bertholdt uttered, a little bit of fear leaking through his voice.

"No, not us, just me," Annie stepped closer to him. "You go back to the Wall, tell them that Reiner's gear broke and that I needed guard him as he makes his way back. That should cover us for a while until Reiner shifts. We'll slip back in during the confusion. Hopefully I'll be able to find our friend before then. Any objections?"

Bertholdt shook his head. Reiner wasn't so accepting. Speaking up again, he asked, "How long will it take for you to find him?"

"Give me a little more than an hour once we leave here before you shift. Like I said, there will be confusion and chaos after the Wall falls. I'll have plenty of time after that to keep searching. And unlike you said Reiner, he won't be anywhere. More likely than not, he's still in the Tower, and if not there, somewhere nearby." She was now turned to face Reiner, eyebrow raised as she waited for an answer.

Reiner sighed in acceptance. "Okay, I'll go with this. Just don't take too long, okay, we still have to make it back alive and with our covers intact."

She nodded. "Wait half an hour before heading back Bertholdt, we don't want to have to deal with a rescue party actually finding us out."

Nodding, Bertholdt took a seat against the wall as Annie and Reiner made their way through the back exit. Heading up along the roofs from the back alley, they made their way westward in order to loop around to the breach and Tower while avoiding Armin, Jean, and Mikasa. The plan would continue.

* * *

On the top of the Wall, the surviving cadets were talking amongst themselves as they awaited orders from their superiors.

"Are you sure you weren't just seeing things back their Armin. You were pretty shell shocked when we found you after… well, you know." Connie's voice petered away as he recollected what happened to Armin's squad.

"No, I know for sure what I saw. Someone stepped out of the neck of that Deviant Class Titan, right where we normally cut them," Armin described for the 5th time since he and Jean made it back to the Wall. "You saw it happen Jean. Tell them."

Up until then Jean had just been sitting to the side, ignoring the conversations going on for the most part. He too was a bit shaken up, not so much by the death of his best friend, but rather by the sheer number of comrades that he watched die under his leadership. It weighed heavy on his mind. Even Marco was giving him some distance. "Huh, you say something?"

"Did you see a person emerge from the back of that Titan's neck," Connie repeated for Armin.

Jean countenance visibly soured. "Tch, yeah, I saw someone exit the Titan's neck, just like Armin said, as did Mikasa, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, though I doubt you can call whatever came out of that thing a person. I still can't believe we left Mikasa behind to go after it." He spat those last few words out.

"Speaking of those three, where are they? I haven't seen them on the Wall since we've arrived," Armin asked.

"They haven't shown up as far as we've seen. Maybe they just went up along a different part of the Wall," Marco offered as an explanation.

Just as he finished, the whizzing sound of metal wires could be heard from over the side of the Wall. Heads turned to the source, the cadets witnessed Bertholdt make his way over the edge and onto the top of the Wall. As he landed, panting on one knee, the other cadets circled around Bertholdt, anxious to know what happened to him.

"Bertholdt, what happened to you? Where are Annie and Reiner?" Connie exclaimed.

Taking several gulps of air, he responded. "Titans… *gasp* Titans got Reiner," he exhaled.

A resounding what came from the cadets.

"Is he…" Sasha's unfinished question hung heavy in the air.

Bertholdt shook his head. "No, Annie saved him. However, his gear was damaged. Annie opted to stay behind and guard him while he makes his way back."

"And you aren't with them, why?" Jean growled as he stormed from his seat into Bertholdt's face. Forgetting what he said earlier to Mikasa and Armin, he internally cursed the giant cadet in front of him. How dare this chicken abandon his comrades to the Titans.

"T-they said I should g-go ahead, that if the Armored T-Titan appeared, th-they'd need all the soldiers th-they can get." Bertholdt stuttered this out, intimidated by Jean's reaction. This caused him to back off, as the implications hit home not only for Jean, but everyone present.

"If that were to happen, and it broke through Wall Rose…" Connie began.

"The Titans would flow through the breach, just like they did five years ago," Marco finished.

"No, it would be much worse," Armin concluded darkly. Everyone's head turned to face him. "Last time the Walls were breached, we lost over a third of our territory and sent a fifth of our population to their deaths so everyone else wouldn't starve. If Rose falls, we would lose more than half this time. That added to the fact that we are just barely getting by food wise, more than half of the population will have to die this time for humanity to live."

For a moment, you could hear the sounds of the Titans stomping below as everyone became deathly quiet. Each cadet played the possible situations out in their heads, varying between refugees being left for dead outside Wall Sina to civil war amongst the survivors and military divisions. None of it ended well, especially with the prospects of these Deviant Titans reappearing again to break down Sina in the future.

While everyone else was pondering this, a ghost of a grin graced Bertholdt's face for a moment, until the sound of whizzing wires could be heard again. Mikasa's returned to see her fellow cadets with solemn expressions gracing their visages.

The lack of a second figure and shake of head conveyed the results of her search to Armin. Jean noticed this too and huffed in approval, thinking the figure was a monster for sure if it wouldn't allow itself to be found.

Before anything could be said, a large explosion could be heard originating from the Breach. In the distance, emerging from a huge cloud of dust was a discolored, skinless, 15-meter class Titan.

The Armored Titan had made its appearance.

* * *

Eren spent the last half an hour running through the halls of the Tower, gathering everything he'd need in order to live outside the Walls. This included several sets of uniforms found within the castle-like structure, including one to replace his torn outfit, two sets of 3D Maneuver Gear sans belts with gas tanks and blades, four extra gas tanks, a bedroll, a fire starter, three canteens of water, and as many ration bars as he could find, all stuffed into an oversized hiking bag similar to the ones used during training.

After equipping a third set of 3D Maneuver Gear, Eren slid the pack straps over his shoulders and almost lost his balance. Even with three years of intense muscle training for in order to use the gear, the weight of the pack was great enough to throw of his center of balance. "Take care Eren, screwing up with this pack is going to be much worse than normal."

He hiked up to the top of the Tower to get an idea of where the clearest exit to the Outer Wall was. As he scanned, he noticed a figure flying along the roof tops a ways to the South, near the breach.

'Wait, that's not flying,' Eren thought as he saw the figure deftly dodge the lunges of several Titans, two of which fell in its wake, steam emerging from the back of their necks. 'That's 3D Maneuver Gear. A soldier in 3D Maneuver Gear is heading for the breach?' The questions emerging today just kept increasing. Soon the figure descended below the roof line, but Eren could still keep track of them for a while based on the direction of the lumbering Titans in the soldier's general direction.

Putting yet another peculiarity behind him, he turned south-east with his guards in hand; ready to begin his trek out of the city.

"Going somewhere Eren?"

Eren's blood froze cold. He'd been caught. Turning around, he saw a short female figure equipped in 3D Maneuver Gear leaning against the opposite wall, staring at him. She was missing the military standard jacket but had a white hoodie beneath the belts. Her hood was up, covering her eyes, and a mask covered the lower half of her face.

"How do you know my name?" he asked the figure. She felt familiar, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on her identity.

"Is that really your first question? Not, 'who are you' or 'how'd you find me'?" Eren shook his head. "Fine, let's just say that I'm part of a group that has witnessed your unique ability. We're quite interested in bringing in another individual like us."

"Like… us?" Eren was taken aback. There were others like him?

"Yes Eren, there are others like you who can shift into Titans, and we want you to join us. We can take you back to our village and teach you how to control your power."

Eren was stunned to say the least. So there weren't just a few individuals like him, but an entire village. There could very well be some with decades of experience, and they were willing to teach him how to use his power. He wondered how the Scouting Legion hadn't found this place yet, but put that thought aside when remembering how big the world was according to Armin's book. If he could learn to control his power, he could help destroy the other Titans and free humanity. He would be able to see the world with Armin, just like he promised so many years ago. And of course knowing Mikasa, she would come along too. The prospect was almost too good to be true.

"We just need to finish the other part of our mission first," she finished.

"Wait, wh-" an explosion could be heard coming from the south. The following tremor almost knocked him off his feet. Righting himself, he saw, emerging from the falling dust and wreckage, the Armored Titan.

Stuck in shock, Eren almost didn't hear the figure rushing towards him.

Almost.

He turned with his arms up, just in time to block the figure from striking him over the head with the sword guard. Thank Annie for the sparring practice.

With the strike block, he pushed the figure back off balance, if only for a moment. In that brief period of respite, Eren dropped the hiking bag and pulled out the blades from his gear, pointing one at the figure.

"You're with them; with the Titans?" Eren spat.

The figure didn't respond at first, instead putting herself into a fighting stance, both blades dawns as well. "I am required to take you alive Eren; whether it's willing as one, or unwilling in pieces." With that she charged him, slashing down at both his arms.

Eren raised his blades to block, and soon the two of them were engaged in combat. Fists, kicks, and blades flew between the, but nothing connected that cut the skin or debilitated either of their movements.

As they continued to clash, Eren's gaze drifted back to observe the Armored Titan. It was lining itself up for a straight shot at the gate. It was going to breach the Walls again.

'No, that can't happen again. I have to stop him!' he thought.

Blocking another strike meant to take off an arm, Eren slipped past the figure and jumped, firing his wires at the nearest building.

"Damn it," the figure muttered as she made to follow him.

Maneuvering between buildings and along rooftops, Eren watched as the Armored Titan began its charge. Adjusting his course, he set himself on a path where he would transform and hit it mid charge, preventing any possibility of it dodging.

Said Titan was unaware of the rapidly approaching figure as it began its charge. Only when Eren flew above the final set of buildings did it notice him, but just ignored the solitary soldier, confident its plating would hold up against the blades.

Bad move.

Eren replaced his blades and bit down on his hand. The taste of warm iron filled his mouth, and then everything went white with a bang.

* * *

A.N.: Wow, that was a lot of writing, almost five thousand words. Apologies if anything is off, I did try my best to keep true to the anime and manga. Depending on how well this is received will decide how quickly and how many updates there are. I know where I want this to go and stuff, just how rapidly it goes depends on your responses. Just so you all know though, I am in college now, so even if I am feeling really good about writing this story, that stuff has to take precedence over writing. I will still do my best to keep you all entertained though. After finishing this chapter I am definitely feeling more than three chapters, at least six, and again, the more support I get from my readers, the more I will want to do. Now I must take my leave. There is a world to reclaim for humanity and Titans that are waiting to be killed. Please remember to read and review. YAAAAAAA *fires wires and flies off into the distance*


	2. Chapter 2

AN: TITANS! *flies forward, aiming at the Titan's neck with his swords* DIE! *gets caught in its hand* Oh shit oh shit OH SH- oh, hey Eren; sorry about that, thought you were one of the regular Titans. *he does not look amused* Since you're here, got anything to share with the readers? *he shakes his head, pointing at his mouth with his free hand* Ah, that's right, you're mute in your Titan form. Well then, could you let me go at least? *nods as he opens his hand* Thanks Eren. Wish Mikasa and Ymir a happy belated birthday for me please. *Leaps down from Eren's hand* Welcome back my loyal readers, to the second chapter of "The Rogue Titan". I received almost completely positive reviews from the last chapter, which have encouraged me to work on this ASAP. Twenty-two reviews on the first chapter does that to a person. One reviewer pointed out that I botched Annie's response a bit after Eren saw the Armored Titan, so that's fixed. Hope you're good now random guest. *gives a nice guy pose* Also, it seems that the challenger found and reviewed my story. A big thanks to popo1212123 for coming up with the prompt and another shout-out to High Queen/theotakulyfe for challenging me to take this up. Go check her out when you're done with this chapter if you haven't already. Maybe she'll update faster if you read and review her stuff too. Now without further ado, I present to you chapter two.

* * *

On the other side of the Wall, all available Garrison soldiers stood ready, armed with rifles and cannons. They were prepared for the worst, and for a split second they thought that was exactly what happened.

A loud crack and crash echoed through the air, and in that moment they thought that the gate had been breached and all was lost. But when pieces of the gate did not crush them all, they were left wondering what had just happened.

Those on the Wall knew exactly what had happened. They had been watching as the Armored Titan charged straight for the gate. From the side they saw two figures in 3D Maneuver Gear heading towards it, as though they might be able to stop it.

"Do those two have a death wish," Jean spoke aloud, voicing everyone else's concern in that moment. Except Bertholdt.

He could recognize the white hoodie from a mile away on the second soldier. If she was following the other figure, then that meant the lead one was…

His eyes went wide in realization as the lead figure's hand was brought to its mouth. Right there was when Fubar realized that the mission may have gone F.U.B.A.R.

There was a bright light that was followed by the sound of thunder, a second later followed by the charging Titan crashing on top of several buildings as a large body slammed into it from the side.

The survivors of the Tower stood in awe at the sight they were beholding.

"Is that…" Sasha began.

"No way," Connie stated.

Jean couldn't seem to decide whether he was grateful or disturbed by the course things had just taken.

Armin was, internally, elated by the turn of events.

And Mikasa, she was simply awestruck.

Standing over the Armored Titan, releasing the loudest roar any of them had ever heard, was the reification, the physical manifestation, of mankind's anger…

The Rogue Titan had returned.

Annie landed on one of the roofs along the edge of the destruction wrought by Eren's collision with Reiner. Seeing him stand over Reiner like that made her want to turn and remove that "superior expression" from his face. Before she could draw the blade from her ring however, a giant fist slammed its way through Eren's chest, spraying bone, blood, and gore through his back.

He tried to stumble back and remove the fist from within his torso in order heal, but as Reiner regained his footing he forced his arm deeper in him. Seeing that he had Eren under control, Annie was content with just watching things play out.

With his elbow almost through the other side, Reiner locked his arm with other one around Eren's side and began to lift him. Not to say Eren wasn't resisting this. No, he was pounding mercilessly against the skull and back of the offending Titan, but only succeeded in creating hairline fractures in the armor whilst destroying his hands in the process.

Reiner turned Eren in the air and slammed him on his side, crushing his arm and shoulder under the force of the blow. He then stepped on Eren's gut and ripped his gore coated arm through Eren's side and returned to his full height. He then raised his foot and, before Eren could block or dodge, slammed it down on the Titan Shifter's skull several times, leaving Eren headless. Figuring Annie could deal with the thoroughly incapacitated coordinate, Reiner walked back to the start of his previous path. The Titans were starting to gather and would soon swarm him if he didn't finish soon.

As Reiner expected, Annie moved towards the fallen Titan Shifter, intent on cutting him out and ending this godforsaken mission.

"There goes mister Nice Titan," Jean commented sarcastically. Though no one else there would admit it, everyone there felt a bit despondent in that moment. Once again their potential ally was struck down, thoroughly defeated.

"Why's the Armored Titan running away?" Christa voiced timidly. Indeed, as she said, the Titan was running for the breach along the main road. About half a kilometer before it reached it though, it stopped.

Everyone's blood ran cold once again.

It turned.

It was going to charge the Wall again.

It began to pick up speed.

And this time…

It was at a dead sprint now.

Nothing would stop it.

"It's coming Armin yelled over the other side of the Wall. It took all of five seconds for the troops of the Garrison to break ranks in a panic. Bodies flew through the air as guns were dropped and cannons left abandoned. A few of the more steeled individuals stood their ground, prepared for the worst.

Unfortunately those that stayed behind were blown away and/or crushed as the Armored Titan crashed through the gate. Anyone caught mid-flight was slammed against one surface or another and a number of those on top of the Wall were shaken off by the vibrations, sent tumbling towards the ground. Quick reflexes on their own parts and of their comrades saved the majority, but a few souls weren't so fortunate. Their corpses were strewn across the rubble those of the defenders on the ground.

Not a far ways from the new breach, the Armored Titan just stood there, as though it were just a statue. It provided an all too tempting target for a number of the Garrison with their wits still about them. Among them was Counter Squad Commander Hannes.

"Soldiers, this is our chance! The Armored Titan is within our grasp! If we take it out, we shall stop the advance of the Titans here and now!"

Shouts could be heard all around the breach, as the Garrison soldiers prepared to strike back. The majority of them began to take up positions along the roofs around the Titan, while a handful moved amongst the wreckage in order to find any surviving soldiers. The rest took up positions at the remaining cannons, including those at the top of the walls. Concentrating fire on the breach, they'd hopefully be able to hold off the Titans.

Watching events unfold were cadets atop the Wall.

"W-we should probably g-go down there and help find survivors," Christa stuttered out.

"There aren't going to be many survivors down there," Connie replied. Indeed, looking down the human side of the wall yielded a field of shattered stone and body parts, a few members of the Garrison picking through it all in an attempt to find a living soul with not much luck.

"So you're saying you'd rather to go fight that thing?" Ymir said sarcastically, pointing her thumb at the Armored Titan. It was holding its own against the Garrison soldiers, whittling down their numbers in ones and twos by stomping, smashing, and crushing, though surprisingly not eating, them, all the while not even getting a scratch on his body. Several of the cadets' eyes widened at the prospect of doing that, though one pair wasn't exactly widened in fear for himself.

"N-no, I j-just thought th-that-"

"We need to get to that Deviant Titan," Armin stated flatly, looking into Trost District..

"Y-yeah, that," Connie said, trying to save face.

"Why the hell should we do that?" Jean shouted.

"That Titan is undoubtedly the same one that fell outside the tower. If the Armored Titan didn't crush its nape, we can save whoever was in it. If he's alive, Wall Rose might not be lost."

"How do you figure that? Even if whatever's in that body can become a Titan again, it's still one against who knows how many other Titans. There's no way it can win!" Jean exclaimed

"It's only endless as long as the breach is open," he said.

"Dammit it Armin, speak straight for once. What are you saying?"

Mikasa gave him a nod of approval when he glanced at her. Taking a deep breath, Armin continued. "That boulder over there," he pointed towards the eastern part of the district, "it's been too large and dense to remove by conventional means. I'm willing to bet that a Titan can move it though. More specifically-"

"That Deviant Titan," Sasha finished for him.

"Exactly. If we can get it to move the boulder in front of the first breach, the flow of Titans will be stopped. We'd just have to clear a path so it can move it. Then it's just a matter of killing those that remain."

"But that includes…" Connie looked back at where the Garrison were engaged with the Armored Titan.

"We can worry about that later. Armin's plan seems sound enough. I'm in," Marco stated.

"So am I," Mikasa said.

Looking between the two, Jean sighed at the incredulousness of the situation. "I can't believe we're going to do this."

The rest of the cadets present fell in with the plan, save one.

"I-I'm not too sure about this guys. W-What if we're wrong a-and it does eat humans too? If we're the only ones r-right next to it, w-what'll stop it from attacking us?" Bert stuttered out.

A couple of unsure glances were shared before Armin spoke up again. "This is a risk is that needs to be taken. Doing otherwise would break our oath as soldiers, and though some might say otherwise in this case, it would be tantamount to treason. I will not betray humanity, especially in such a dire time as this."

"R-right," Bert sighed.

"Any other objections?" If there were, none were voiced. "Then let's go."

One by one the cadets of 104th flew of the Wall towards what might be the only thing that could save humanity.

"Annie's going to be pissed," Bertholdt whispered before following his "comrades".

* * *

'Dammit, he had to roll onto his back, didn't he,' Annie cursed mentally. She was standing beside the neck of Eren's Titan form. After Reiner crushed his head she figured it would be pretty easy to extract Eren from the nape of his neck. But no, the crushed skull was still attached and healing, though at an extremely slow rate, along with the rest of his body. With the nape between hundreds of pounds of crushed flesh and the ground, Annie was more than a little annoyed.

She began hacking at the side of the neck, partially in hopes to outpace the healing factor and get to the coordinate, but mostly in order to vent her frustration at the fact that they were so close yet still so far. Thankfully no Titans have taken notice of her or the corpse, but that could change at any moment.

'Come on, come on," she yelled mentally, hacking away at more and more flesh, only for it to begin to heal again. The distant sounds of Titans walking were beginning to get louder.

Annie was beginning to seriously consider turning, just so she could end this godforsaken mission and get home. She could feel the thumping of the approaching Titans now.

Turning from the corpse towards the gap between the houses Eren had made, she observed a thirteen and two ten meter class Titans passing by. One of the ten meter ones noticed her, and began approaching the two of them, the other two following in tow.

'Fuck,' was the only word that ran through her head in that moment. She readied one of her blades to cut herself, but just as it was about to bite the skin, a blur passed the leading ten meter Titan, just behind its neck. A moment later it fell over right in front of her. Two more blurs passed behind the other Titans before they fell as well.

Standing on the remains of one of the buildings were Mikasa, Jean, and Bertholdt. Landing across from them on the other side of the gap were Connie, Sasha, Ymir, Christa, Marco, and Armin. Thinking quickly, she stepped over into the closest alley present before running away, hoping no one saw her.

She was unfortunately a little too slow, as Jean saw movement at the edge of the alley way. "Did you see that?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I did," Bertholdt replied.

"Think we should check it out? Wouldn't want a Titan to get the jump on when we aren't looking."

"Yeah, y-you're right. I'll go ahead. If it's small enough to hide between the building I-I should be able to take care of it," Bertholdt stated, seeming more confident abilities than usual. He launched himself across the roofs over the space he saw the figure escape.

The remaining cadets took up positions around the fallen Titan as it slowly healed. The distant thundering of Titan steps and cannon fire could be heard in the distance. Another ten meter class and a seven meter class Titan stumbled upon them but were quickly dispatched by Mikasa and Connie.

Soon enough, the Titan's skull and reformed, along with the rest of the damage. Something wasn't right though. Even though it was healed, it wouldn't move.

Armin leapt down from his position and approached the side of its head.

"Hello? Are you awake in there?" No response.

'What the hell is he doing,' was the collective thought of most of the present cadets.

"Whoever you are, we need your help." Still no response.

"I know you're alive. Please, if you can hear me, listen. The Titans, those things you hate so much and have been killing all day, they're killing humanity, my people, by the thousands. If they aren't stopped, they will cease to exist. If we work together, we can defeat the Titans, not just here, but everywhere. So please, help us!" As Armin spoke, his voice became faster and more passionate until he was almost screaming the final line. After a minute of waiting though, the fallen deviant had still not awoken.

Armin released a sigh as he prepped his blades. He stepped on top of the Titan's shoulder and launched both wires into the side of the Titan's neck before drawing them taught. Replacing one of his blades, he pointed the other one downwards with both hands on the hilt and drove it as deep as he could through the juncture of the shoulder and neck, hoping that he was right and that it would hit the person without killing him.

* * *

"Where are you Annie?" Bertholdt asked himself. He'd dropped down into the alleyway after clearing a couple of roofs in case any of his fellow cadets decided to follow after him. Unfortunately, Annie had a similar sense of avoidance, as she had made herself very discreet. He began calling her name. "Annie!"

"Not so loud Bert, you'll attract attention." Said cadet screamed as he spun around to see his fellow Titan Shifter, who was standing casually with her hood and mask down as though she was there the entire time. She seemed pretty miffed, though not necessarily at him. "What're they doing here?"

"Armin wants to use that Titan to plug up the hole I made in the Wall. He's hoping that after that that maybe it'll work with humanity to fight the Titans."

Her frowned deepened before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Then we just have to make sure they fail, otherwise Eren is sure to go with them."

"Wait, that Titan, the coordinate, is Eren? I thought Armin said he was eaten?" He was shell shocked? They were never more than 100 meters from their target for the better part of three years and they only just know learned this? It was unbelievable.

"Well he's wrong. I caught Eren in the Tower with pack full of supplies. If I didn't know him I wouldn't have guessed it, but it seems he was planning on going outside the Walls." A upward tick in her lips momentarily gave away her thoughts. Eren was brave; crazy too, especially considering what the world was like beyond the Walls, but brave nonetheless. "Thinking about it now, that may work to our advantage. If he's outside the Walls, or at least this Wall, then there's nothing that could stop us from grabbing him. If Reiner and I were to go after him, then we'd be sure to capture him."

"And then we can go home?" Bert asked, just barely containing his excitement.

"Yes Bert, and then we can go home." A small, but genuine smile graced Annie's face.

"So what do we do to make sure he goes outside?"

She paused. "The best way I see this working out is if we allow Eren to plug up the breach. Once that's done, Reiner and I can run in and distract the them and any other soldiers present while Eren slips away. If that fails, and Eren doesn't slip away, then we'll either have to 'help him' escape or be a bit more direct in capturing him. You understand what that means, right Bert?"

"Y-yeah. Uh, hey, Annie…" Bert seemed to be really nervous now.

"Yes Bert?" An eyebrow rose, querying him as to what he was going to ask.

"When you and Reiner intercept Armin and the others, you two aren't… I mean you guys won't…" He couldn't finish asking, afraid as to what answer he might receive.

Annie's gaze dropped to the ground. She was reluctant to answer, but lying would only hurt them all in the end. "We'll do our best Bert, but-"

A roar that was beginning to become all too familiar cut her off before she could finish. They couldn't see it from here, but they knew Eren had woken up.

"Go, I'm going to get Reiner." Without a second thought, Annie launched herself towards the roofs, back towards the main Wall. Bertholdt watched her retreating form for few seconds until she disappeared, then turned to return to the others.

* * *

Pain.

That was what Eren was feeling.

A very sharp pain in his arm woke him up from his slumber.

From his dream.

'It was only a dream?'

He was home. He was home and warm, wrapped in a giant blanket while Mikasa helped his mother with the dishes and his father read one of his medicine books. It was as though everything that happened in the past five years never happened.

But then suddenly his right arm was hurting as if one of those swords the soldiers used was stabbed though it. And then the dream started to fade; he desperately tried to hold onto it, reaching out to his family, but as he unknowingly slid back into reality, they slid into the darkness.

The darkness gave way to the orange sky of the approaching dusk. He was lying down.

Pushing himself off the ground, he found himself looking over the rooftops of the district. Occasionally the head of a Titan could be seen.

'That's right, I transformed into a Titan again. And…' he internally cringed as he remembered being thoroughly destroyed by the Armored Titan. His gaze fell on the Wall that he tried to save, only to see a gaping hole in it with a number of Titans approaching. Luckily they were being cut down by an increasing volume of cannon fire, but beyond the hail of explosives was the Armored Titan, fighting against a number of soldiers.

He wanted to face the Armored Titan again, no trick shots this time, and take him down; every fiber in his being said to charge forward. Yet when he began to take step forward, his hearing returned to him, and the first thing he heard was the screaming of a familiar voice.

"-op, please stop! Dammit we need your help! You're going to kill yourself if you go there!"

Eren turned his head to where the voice was, only to see a very flustered and terrified Armin. Looking down and around, he noticed a number of his well acquainted comrades were surrounding him on the rooftops in battle ready stances, each with a mix of fierce determination and fear evident on their faces in different proportions.

He turned back to Armin, who seemed to have calmed down a little bit. He noticed that he was holding onto a sword that was imbedded into his neck, which reminded him of the pain he felt earlier.

He slowly brought an open hand up to his shoulder, knowing any overt motions might set off the soldiers below him. He made a cocking motion towards it with his head, which Armin hesitantly followed, jumping onto the outstretched appendage after removing his sword. Moving his hand in front of him, the two stood face to face.

"Can you speak?" Armin queried. Eren open his mouth to respond, but couldn't manage to speak, so instead he shook his head. "But you can understand me?" He nodded this time. "Good."

Armin felt triumphant. Really any soldier would if they managed to not only avoid getting eaten by a Titan, but also manage to communicate with it.

"I- we saw you before. You were killing Titans left and right; you even tried to take on the Armored Titan. You hate them too, right? Cause you're part human?"

It was an innocent enough question, or at least about as innocent as a traumatized teenager like Armin could ask. But the last two words resonated in him.

Part human.

He was not human. He was part human and part Titan. Definitely not something the military or humanity as a whole would likely accept.

After pausing for a bit, he nodded.

"Will you help us then? We need to stop more of them from coming in and kill those that are already here, but we can only do that with your help." Armin's head turned to look past Eren's head, towards the east side of the district, and pointed. The Titan turned its head to see what he was pointing to. "If we move that boulder in front of the hole in the Wall there," his hand moved to point at the hole the Colossal Titan made, "then we will stop the flow of Titans into the city. After that, it would only be a matter of killing those that remain within the Walls." Armin turned to face the Titan again. "If you can move the boulder, we'll keep the Titans off your back. Do you think you can lift it?"

This time Eren's nod was more resolute. He lowered his hand to the nearest rooftop to let Armin go before he began bounding towards the boulder.

"I cannot believe what just happened," Jean voiced next to Armin.

"Believe it Jean. We're one step closer to humanity's first victory against the Titans." Both Jean and Mikasa were taken a bit aback at this declaration. Was this real? Were they really about to defeat the Titans? "We still have a ways to go though, and anything can happen. We have to make sure everything goes according to plan." No, they still had much to do before they could say that they won. "Everyone, follow that Titan!" Armin yelled so everyone could hear. And they were off.

By some unforeseen miracle, the human-Titan team managed to reach the boulder without any casualties, at least not on their side. A number of Titans across their path were cut, smashed, and in the case of some smaller ones, punted out of existence. Along the way Bertholdt managed to catch up to them, flying along next to Jean to tell him that what he found. Apparently there was a pair of three meter Titans that had wandered up the alley before turning back around towards the cadets. Thankfully he managed to deal with both of them.

Upon reaching the boulder, the cadets circled up around it to ensure "nothing got to the Rogue Titan," as Armin stated.

"You okay there Jean? You don't look well," Marco asked across the roof they were standing on.

"I'm fine, I just… this a lot to take in. We're working with a Titan, those things that are supposed to be the reason we're on the brink of extinction. It's hard to get out of the mentality that I should kill it now, before it turns on us and kills everyone. Tch, I will admit though, if this Titan's on our side we will be better off than before."

"Yeah, definitely. You shouldn't worry about it though. Armin's smart, he's probably got this Rogue Titan stuff figured out." He finished with a wide smile that put Jean a bit more at ease.

"Yeah, you're right he probably does." As he finished, he heard the loud rumble of earth shifting mixed with the Titan's roar. Turning, Jean saw what was now being known as the Rogue Titan lifting the giant boulder onto his shoulder and begin making its way towards the breach.

Armin wore a smug grin of satisfaction as things continued to go as planned while the rest of the cadets wore looks of awe at the sheer strength of the Titan in front of them. They were soon broken out of their stupor as said beast had moved outside their protective circle.

"This is it; the future of humanity relies on whether the breach into Trost is sealed," Armin said under his voice. Steeling himself for this final stretch, he turned to address his comrades. "Everyone, give this everything you've got! If we win, we live, but we can only win if we fight and fight with everything we have! So I'm telling you now, fight, fight, FIGHT!" With that, Armin charged after the Rogue Titan, leading the cadets into the fray what might be their final time.

* * *

Mikasa knew who Armin got that final speech from. He used to say stuff like that whenever he talked about joining the military.

"Eren," she whispered. She sighed as she tried to nuzzle into it, only to be reminded that it was gone, lost in the heat of the day's battles. Her last physical manifestation of Eren's presence was gone. His spirit and iron will, however, would live on in both herself and Armin.

Armin. How he changed. In the course of the day he had gone from having given up, willing to give in to death's embrace, to leading his squad mates in what may be the most important mission humanity has undertaken since retreating behind the Walls. The fires of the day's events forged what she'd like to consider one of humanity's sharpest weapons. After all, no ordinary soldier would think of using a Titan to fight the Titans.

Taking out an 11 meter Titan bounding towards their group, her introspection turned to her thoughts about their unexpected ally. Everyone else was probably thinking this as well, but never in her life did she see herself working with a Titan, especially after what happened five years ago. Then again, this Titan wasn't the same as the mindless beasts her comrades had been fighting all day, or the one that ate Carla. There was a human underneath that form, and whoever he or she was, not only did Mikasa owe them her life, but so did the entire 104th, and if they succeed, everyone behind the Walls.

* * *

It was during the final stretch, where the buildings opened into a clearing towards the breach, that things finally began to go to shit.

With the Rogue Titan going straight for the breach rather than going along the Wall, the cadets had to move onto the ground to continue to surround it. They split into four groups, Armin and Mikasa at the front left, Jean and Marco at the front right, Connie and Sasha at the rear left, and Ymir, Christa, and Bertholdt at the rear right. This formation didn't last long as the waves of Titans pouring through the breach began to hone in on them, more specifically towards the Titan they were guarding.

Jean and Marco were the first to leap into the fray, tackling a 13 meter followed by two 10 meter Titans. A 7, 9, and 12 meter class were soon on top of them, which was when Christa, Ymir, and Bertholdt broke from the group. The five managed to keep the waves at bay, shifting from Titan to Titan in order to stay off the ground while Mikasa and Marco held off several stragglers on the left flank.

Then disaster struck.

As Christa flew upward with a burst of gas following a kill against a smaller Titan, she found himself flying straight into Jean's path. She tried to orient himself in the air so as to launch a wire downwards, but was unable to do so. She hit one of the wires, killing her momentum and sending her 10 meters towards the ground.

Ymir was on top of her almost immediately. She didn't pause to see if she was conscious, only that she was alive. Thankfully the blood coming from her head wasn't from a punctured artery, which could have easily happened after falling 30 meters onto her back. She just scooped her up, cradling Christa's head against her shoulder, and began making a break back for the buildings. Hopefully they'd be able to find safety inside one of the abandoned homes.

That hope seemed to dry up as several Titans began to pour from the streets between said buildings.

'If I turned now, I could get us both out of this mess. But then they'll know, and I doubt the military will be forgiving of that part of me.' She pushed herself to run faster, aiming for one of the windows. If she managed to get in before the Titans caught her, she could find a place to hide. Thankfully Christa was much lighter than the packs they were conditioned to run with, but even then she saw she wasn't going to make it.

Then the closest Titan fell. Sasha rounded along one of the roofs before aiming for another Titan. Connie hit a third before landing on the closest roof.

"Go, get her inside. We'll cover you," he shouted to her before jumping back into the fray.

'Thanks Shorty, I owe you and Potato Girl a big one,' she said internally.

She managed to get Christa inside; hiding her in a back room that none of the Titans could possibly see her in. After making sure that Christa would be fine for the time being, she began to make her way back to the fight. She'd have rather stayed behind and watched over this girl she loved, but as selfish as Ymir was, if things went pear shaped outside they'd all be dead. And so she returned to fight the not-so-good fight.

* * *

Jean didn't fare much better, for though his wires were still firmly in the ground, Christa's momentum sent him off course. They caught on something as he flew to the side, sending him spiraling towards the center, ending with a hard smack against the object. He was briefly stunned, which was almost his undoing.

The object he had slammed into was a 9 meter's head, on the back thankfully, but before he was fully in control of his senses a giant hand was wrapped around his body and began moving him towards an open maw.

Just as it looked like the end for him, Marco managed to fly by and slice the monster's neck, sending both it and Jean to the ground. Landing beside him, Marco tried to help him up.

"Can you stand Jean," he asked as he hooked his friend's arm around his neck and pulled him from the ground.

"Yeah, I- AARGH." He yelled as he stumbled to the ground as he lost his balance.

"Jean, are al-?" his voice was caught in his throat as he saw one of Jean's legs ended shredded bits of bloody flesh and bone just below the kneecap. He had "saved" his friend a second too late. Looking around, a 15 meter Titans was making its way towards them, no more than 50 meters from them, with three 3-5 meter ones at its feet. Thinking fast, Marco drew his blades and sliced at the straps holding Jean's gear to his body, then moved to sling Jean onto his back. "Hang on Jean, I'll get you out of here." Despite the pain, he did manage to clasp his arms around Marco's neck, allowing him to run towards the Walls, where he'd leave his friend at the relative safety of the top.

* * *

Reduced to six, the battle was beginning to wear thin on the cadets. Muscles were staining, blades were dulling, and gas was running out. The first to go down was Connie. Covering Ymir's retreat by taking out all the Titans to their rear used a lot of gas, even with his excellent use of momentum. Sasha obviously followed soon after, having done the same. Grounded, the two had no other option than to literally run intervention as Ymir and Bert took out any Titans that followed them.

Mikasa and Armin were the only two left protecting the Rogue Titan. Though the number of Titans was still unrelenting, they were almost at the breach. All they had to do was get the Titan past the trenches and they could make their escape.

That didn't pan out though, for when Armin landed after another kill, he found himself being lifted off the ground.

"MIKASA!" Said person was about to strike down another 11 meter Titan when she heard her name being shouted. Looking away briefly caused her to miss the strike, but rather wasting to attack it again, she had a new target: the 15 meter Titan that held Armin in its hand.

'Not again, I'm not losing Armin too!' Using her attachment to her original target as a fulcrum, she released an excess of gas, she did a rapid 270 degree turn around her original target before releasing her wires. Flying at Armin's captor, she removed the offending hand with her blades before quickly firing a cable into the beast's chest. The sharp turn that followed would have screwed up most soldiers' aim, even amongst the veterans, but Mikasa wasn't ranked first in the 104th for nothing. Her blades sliced through flesh like a hot knife through butter, and the beast fell.

Landing in a ready stance, she looked back at her friend, concern visible in her gaze. "Are you okay Armin?"

"N-no. My gear…" He sounded panicked, and he had every right to be. Kneeling on the ground he was bemoaning over what had once been his 3D Maneuver Gear. Now all it was were two bent and battered metal cases with air hissing out of the canisters.

"Dammit. Can you at least stand?" She was gritting her teeth in anger. They were so close to finally winning; but now, with two-thirds of their already small squad out of commission, it looked like even if humanity won, they would lose.

"Ah- yeah, I think I can," he gritted out through clenched teeth. He'd definitely have a lot of bruising around his hips, probably fractures too, but if he didn't get up none of that would matter. "We're still going to fight, aren't we?"

"Of course we are. I have to take you to the sea after all." A small smile graced her lips after that remark, matching one Armin was wearing, before she refocused her attention on the oncoming Titans. 'For Eren.'

Armin got into a ready stance as well, his two remaining blades out and ready. They both had their backs to the Titan they had been defending as it finally made its way across the trenches. Scores of Titans began to make to make their way towards them. They would almost certainly die, but they had won, and they would take down as many of the bastards down with them as possible.

As two of the lead Titans were almost upon them though, a rapidly flying figure flew behind them, before making a rapid 180 turn for another pass, spinning like a top the whole while. Not second later, both monsters fell to the ground dead, leaving a perplexed and surprised Armin and Mikasa. The figure didn't stop though, as five more nearby Titans were cut down before it landed a top the pile of corpses they left behind. The figure's back was turned to them, with no identifying features save the green cloak it wore that contrasted against the evening's orange glow. Emblazoned on it were a pair of blue and white wings: The Wings of Freedom.

'The Survey Corps? What are they… They must've noticed something wrong from outside the Wall.' Mikasa turned to look at the breach and saw a number of soldiers passing through into the city, save one who pulled her horse to admire the Rogue Titan as it stood by the entrance.

"Hey brats, what the hell is going on here," spoke the figure. The figure turned, revealing itself as a tired looking man with a piercing gaze that might have killed one of those Titans he was standing on. Behind him, the wave of Titans that was once approaching him was falling to an even stronger wave of soldiers from the Survey Corps.

"S-sir?" Armin almost squeaked at the intimidating man.

"I counted six soldiers that look like they should still be in training, half of which are running around on the ground like headless chickens from Titans, all the while one Titan is standing at that hole with a giant boulder on its shoulder yet it's not killing us. Explain. Now!" The man was short, both in temper and height as was evidenced when he got down from the corpses in order to confront the two.

"Sir, the district gate into human our territory was breached by the Armored Titan. All available Garrison are holding it and all other Titans at bay there. It was stalled by this Abnormal Titan. It saved our lives on several occasions as well, before and afterwards. It has shown no malice towards us or kinship towards the Titans, and I think," Armin paused to swallow. Not having seen it himself, this soldier probably won't believe him, but he had to say it. "We think there's a human inside it, controlling it."

He just stared at them impassively. Neither Armin nor Mikasa could tell whether he thought they were suffering from stress induced insanity, but they were leaning towards it. To those who hadn't seen what they saw, a human controlling a Titan was still an insanely incredulous idea.

As they waited for his response, the last of the Survey Corps soldiers passed through the breach. Before any Titans could begin to come through again, the Rogue Titan threw the boulder into the gap, sealing it off from any further incursion. It then leaned against the rock, steaming from exertion, while the figure that was on the horse flew upwards to face it.

"We'll keep an eye on it. If it pulls anything though, we won't hesitate to put it down, understood?" They nodded. "Right now, you," looking pointedly at Armin, "need to leave and get your gear sorted out." He turned to Mikasa. "Can you get him up the Wall?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, then get going. We'll need every able bodied soldier available to clean this mess up." He turned and fired his gear towards the boulder, near the female soldier.

"Come on Armin, let's go." Mikasa crouched to allow him onto her back. Once he got on, she fired her cables and made their way away from the battle.

* * *

From a top the Wall, they could see that things were slowly turning in favor of humanity. With the breach sealed, and the Survey Corps, the number of Titans could be slowly whittled down. As they made their way back to the main Wall, they were met by Connie, Sasha, and Bertholdt, thankfully none of whom were worse for wear.

When questioned on where Ymir went, they said she went into a building with a couple of soldiers, only to come out with Christa in a stretcher held by them and Ymir holding the small girl's hand. None of them knew where Jean and Marco were, save that Connie saw the latter carrying the former away on his gear with a lot of blood on both of them.

A trial by fire for sure, but as far as they could see, they all made it out okay Not only were they okay though, but they had won. Humanity had, for the first time, defeated the Titans.

Or had they?

Far off in the distance, near the second breach, the sound of thunder accompanied a lightning bolt as it struck the ground. There, materializing out of nowhere was another Titan. It was different from the rest, due in part to its lack of skin in most places, along with a more muscular and noticeably female build. It took a moment to orient itself before it threw back its head and released a high pitched roar. Not a minute later, the Armored Titan ran through the breach and rain of cannon fire beyond it. As it came close to this Female Type, it slowed down to face it. From this distance none of them could see what was going on between the two seemingly intelligent monsters, save for a pair of nods.

Then they began running again; towards the entrance to Trost.

Towards the Rogue Titan.

* * *

AN: Jesus fucking Christ, that was a lot of writing. Over 7000 words here and I'm only starting the Author's Note. I apologize for the delay, as I've told a number of you that reviewed that I would update by such and suck weekend and that didn't happen. It was a mix of college, internet derp, and an overactive muse that's responsible for that. If I listened to my muse, I'd still be writing this chapter so we could get outside Wall Rose at the beginning of the next, but I don't want to keep you guys waiting too long, so here you go. As you all can see, Freckled Jesus lives! But Jean, well you read what happened to him. And who knows how bad Christa's condition is. Oh yeah, that's right, I do! Mwahahaha! How will this change our group's dynamics? Well, you'll see. Maybe. Don't think no one's going to die though. This is still Attack on Titan. I just decided that killing someone here would be bad form. I want to draw out your suffereing. I hope you guys don't hate me for another sorta cliffy, but is it really that bad? Nah. Anyway, expect the next update in about the same time period, because I have to read and write a paper on Pride and Prejudice. So much fun (not). So yeah, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. If you did, let me know in the reviews; if you don't or if there are issues that you found that I missed, please let me know in a critique review; if you're just angry with what went on here, leave a flame review so I can turn it into an HE round to shoot at a Titan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make Mikasa and Ymir belated birthday cakes. Later.


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